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The Forum Communications News Service is the premier news wire service covering the Upper Midwest, including the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin. In addition to breaking and enterprise news, we offer a wide variety of sports, features, business, agriculture, outdoors and opinion content. For more information about the services we offer or to discuss content subscriptions, please contact us.

BRAINERD, Minn.—A 29-year-old Baxter man was charged on 19 counts of felony possession of pornographic work involving adults engaging in sex acts with children, some of whom authorities believe are as young as 2 years old.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota and U.S. flags will fly at half-staff Tuesday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Gov. Mark Dayton issued the decree Monday, July 31. It applies to all state and federal buildings from sunrise to sunset. “We must never forget the terrible losses and injuries, which so many Minnesotans suffered on that tragic day and have endured every day thereafter,” Dayton said in a statement.

MINNEAPOLIS — A former youth pastor in Cottage Grove, Minn., is heading to prison for sending sexually explicit images of children to others on social media sites, authorities say. William Leonard Helker, 47, of Pine City, was sentenced in federal court in Minneapolis this past week to 12K years in prison on one count of distribution of child pornography, according to a statement released by the U.S. attorney’s Minnesota office.

BEMIDJI -- A Code Red Alert was issued Friday morning and the Bemidji Police Department is asking for help from the public in locating 25-year-old Keanu Joseph Major, who has escaped from custody. He was last seen in the northwest part of Bemidji in leg shackles and a waist belt with restraints and an orange jumpsuit, according to a release posted to the Bemidji Police Department’s Facebook page. Major is described as a Native American male, 5'10, 195 pounds with black hair and facial hair and hazel eyes. Major has a tattoo on his neck that says "Victoria."

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. -- A northwest Minnesota deputy sheriff and investigator charged with domestic violence last week has been placed on paid administrative leave. Blaize Zimmerman with the Pennington County sheriff’s department was charged July 17 with misdemeanor domestic assault. The charges stem from an arrest at 1:45 p.m. July 14 in Thief River Falls, according to court filings. He was released released on a $2,000 bond.